The 10 Best Anime Available On Netflix In 2020 (According To IMDb)

Netflix has steadily been adding more and more anime to its offerings over the years, and while it’s still missing some of the greats, it has pretty much something for everyone. The anime available on the streaming platform spawn many different genres and covers a variety of subjects.

It’s hard to say which ones are the best but thankfully IMDB has its own rating system to help sort them. Here are the top ten animes that are available on Netflix right now, as ranked by IMDB.

10 Rilakkuma and Kaoru (8.4)

The Netflix original Rilakkuma and Kaoru, created by Dwarf Studio in cooperation with San-X, is definitely among the cuter series available on the service. This stop-animation show takes place over one year in the life of Kaoru, as she navigates her life while living with a costumed bear and his pals.

It’s a wholesome tale that is sure to make the viewer smile during its short episodes. Sometimes people just need a little bit of innocence in their lives.

9 Neon Genesis Evangelion (8.5)

Neon Genisis Evangelion, the critically acclaimed Japanese Mecha by Hideaki Anno, was finally added to Netlfix last spring. It is sure to please a majority of the viewers who give it a try on Netflix.

The anime takes place in futuristic Japan, 15 years after a worldwide catastrophe caused by the creatures known as The Angels. The anime is set in the fictional Tokyo-3 and follows the lives of pilots of the Evangelion bio-machines that fight the Angels that threaten humanity.

8 Fullmetal Alchemist (8.5)

The first of two versions based on the anime, Fullmetal Alchemist gives viewers a look at the Alric brothers and what happens when they try to play with alchemy.

This version was released before the manga was finished being written so it took its own path once it had caught up to its original inspiration. The result is two different versions of the same story, both worth watching in their own right. Both follow the Brothers in their hunt to right their wrongs after trying to bring back their Mom with alchemy, causing Edward to lose his arm and leg and Al’s soul to be trapped in a suit of armor.

7 Code Geass (8.6)

Code Geass is a seinen anime that largely centers around Lelouch vi Britannia, a student gifted with a supernatural power called a Geass that is unique to its beholder, usually involving their eyes. Lelouch’s ability is that he can command people to do something and they have to obey.

The only catch is he can only use this power once per person. While the story expands to include many other people with their own Geass, the anime mainly focuses on Lelouch as he strategically uses his Geass in his complex scheme for vengeance.

6 Your Lie In April (8.6)

Your Lie In April is a coming of age anime based on the manga by Naoshi Arakawa. The anime is produced by Aniplex and features a young pianist who loses his motivation to play after his mother’s sudden death.

When he meets a new girl and violinist, he starts to feel the urge to play again and brings music back into his life. It’s a sweet story that captures the essence of teenagehood well.

5 Attack on Titan (8.8)

Attack on Titan is a  popular anime that largely revolves around a group of students in military school training to be scouts to defend their land against the giant Titans that threaten them.

There are three layers to the city, each with its own wall around it to provide protection against the TItan, with the city’s most notable people protected by the inner ring. It is an action-packed anime that also has a lot to say about class systems and politics.

4 One-Punch Man (8.8)

One-Punch Man’s title does a good job of summing up the protagonist’s power. Saitama is a hero that, due to his series training regimen,  manages to win all his fights with one fatal punch.

Although this is worth bragging about, the lack of challenge quickly bores Saitama and the anime follows the character as he searches for something that tests him. This leads him to join the Hero Association, as Saitama battles monsters, villains, and more.

3 Hunter x Hunter (8.9)

Hunter x Hunter followers the journey of 12-year-old Gon who leaves his home to discover why his father left to become a hunter. In the process, Gon trains to become a hunter himself, meeting a group of other people who also want to take the Hunter Exam.

Among them, Gon meets Killua Zoldyck, the son of a long line of assassins, and Kurapika the last surviving member of the scarlet eyed Kurta Clan, who is on a quest to avenge his fallen clan brothers and retrieve their torn out and traded eyeballs. Don’t be fooled by its animation style, this anime has some dark moments with some of the strongest villains of all time.

2 Death Note (9.0)

Death Note is the highly acclaimed anime based on the manga of the same name. It follows Light as he finds himself in possession of a journal that can be used to kill anyone whose full name is written inside.

Light uses the power for good at first, only killing criminals; however, he soon becomes entangled in a web of his own making and must use the book to help clear his name, especially when special agent L joins the hunt to bring him to justice. It becomes a game of cat and mouse as Light uses his wit and luck (and the help of a Shinigami) to learn L’s real name and take him out. Death Note is an enthralling tale and Light and L are great characters.

1 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (9.2)

If someone is new to anime, then do not start with this one. Nothing will ever live up to it. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is rated this highly for a reason. It’s got an amazingly in-depth storyline, characters viewers either despise or love deeply, and the bond between brothers Elric will make most people tear up on more than one occasion. 

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is not a sequel of FMA but a retelling of the story that sticks closely to the manga. This version includes a different origin story and many storylines that are not featured in the original. Both versions have characters and storylines that draw viewers in but Brotherhood is rated higher mainly due to its more fleshed out ending and backstory. 

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